A Tearful Reunion

Fenwick Softball Coach Bob Dillon Departed Stagg Under Less Than Optimal Circumstances. But When The Friars And Chargers Met This Week, Only Good Memories Remained.

Shining Like A Diamond

April 06, 2001|By Bob Sakamoto, Tribune staff reporter.

Right in the middle of a postgame interview, Stagg right-fielder Samantha Eyman excused herself and went running across the softball diamond.

Tears streaming down her face, Eyman gave one last hug to Fenwick coach Bob Dillon.

"I told him that I miss him and that I love him," Eyman said.

It was an emotional scene Monday in River Forest when Dillon, who was forced to resign from Stagg last November, faced his former players as the new coach at Fenwick. That his Friars won the game 1-0 in eight innings had nothing to do with the sad expressions on some of the Stagg players' faces.

Fenwick sophomore Krissy Witt, who had scored the winning run, stood off to the side and watched.

"When you see how the Stagg players were reacting after the game, that lets you know what a great coach Mr. Dillon is," she said. "We're fortunate to have him with us."

During his seven years in Palos Hills, Dillon became the winningest coach in the program's history with a record of 206-63. He led the Chargers to their only state quarterfinal appearances in 1994, '95, '96 and '97, finishing fourth in '95 and third in '97.

He incurred the wrath of parents when Stagg lost the essentially meaningless third-place game in '95 because Dillon decided to play all of the bench-warming seniors who had made their own personal sacrifices over a four-year span.

During preseason meetings with parents, he set the ground rules and would not tolerate any interference with his program. In his straightforward style, he sent letters to the parents last fall, informing them that first-year varsity players would have difficulty cracking the starting lineup.

The controversy that would ultimately cost Dillon his coaching position began when three current players on the Stagg softball team removed some player registration forms off the top of his desk without permission.

The soft-spoken Dillon, who is nonetheless an old-school disciplinarian, became frustrated when his players denied any wrongdoing. When he intimated that perhaps those players didn't belong in the Stagg program, the threat blew up in his face.

"I'm no martyr and I said some things I shouldn't have said," Dillon said. "I apologized and sent notes to the players and their parents. I wanted all of us to sit down and clear the air. But I never got that chance."

Stagg Principal Ross Cucio denies that parental pressure brought on the school's administration forced him to ask Dillon for his resignation.

"I can't tell you why we asked for the resignation because of our school's confidentiality policy regarding personnel matters," Cucio said. "I can tell you this was not something brought on by the parents or the kids. Parental pressure is something we live with every day and it's never been a factor in whether someone resigned or didn't resign.

"Bob Dillon is a good teacher, and he remains an English teacher at our school. He declined an offer to meet with those parents. We all go through these kinds of situations at one time in our lives. I like Bob, and he did a good job here. I'm sure he will do a good job at Fenwick."

More than 50 parents of current and former Stagg players showed up at a school board meeting in support of Dillon--to no avail.

"We've learned a lesson here," said Eyman, a Chargers co-captain. "There are times when something can go wrong even when it seems so right, and there's nothing you can do about it. Mr. Dillon did so much for me, and I was out-of-control angry when it happened."

Dillon never has been one for speeches. After turning in his resignation, he called the team together one last time.

"All of a sudden we had this meeting, and no one knew what it was about," left-fielder Kristine Roubik said.

Teammate Julie Wiorkowski will never forget that gathering.

"He came in, handed us each a letter and then walked away without saying a word," Wiorkowski said. "That letter was so heartwarming. All of us were in tears when we read it. Mr. Dillon wrote about how much he enjoyed working with us, and he thanked us for playing so hard for him. The letter said to always appreciate the sacrifices our parents have made for us, and to go home and give them a hug."

Dillon's leadership had inspired such loyalty that assistant coach Missy Mason consulted with the dismissed head coach before accepting the position as his replacement.

"Missy didn't need to ask for my permission," Dillon said. "She is a great coach in her own right and will do very well with the program. That just shows you how much class she's got."

Emotional outpouring

Dillon admitted he had a difficult time concealing his emotions during the traditional postgame exchange of handshakes that turned into a hugfest after the Stagg game.